Monday, December 25, 2023

We Fulfill the Commandment

 There's a meme that goes with this, about Jews having to eat Chinese on Christmas, and what sort of acts fulfill the commandment, but I can't find it. (Update: I found it! See below.)



Anyway, we ate Chinese from a new takeout place. It was tasty!

Update: Here is the meme!

Transcript:

Jack Abramowitz  Dec. 13, 2018  New York, New

York Okay, let’s review the laws of eating Chinese food on December 25th.

Beis Shammai say that one must eat both an appetizer

and an entree; Beis Hillel say an appetizer or an entree.  Others say that one fulfills his obligation even with won ton soup alone.  The halacha follows the others.

There is a machlokes as to whether one can fulfill his

obligation by eating fortune cookies.  Our practice is to be machmir in this matter.

The mitzvah is to eat Chinese food on Christmas Day.  If one

ate Chinese food on Christmas Eve, he has not fulfilled his

obligation until he eats from his leftovers the next day.  The leftovers need not be reheated but one who does so is praiseworthy.

If one ate sushi, Indian, or Thai, he has fulfilled

his obligation after the fact (b’dieved).  If one ate pizza, burgers or Mexican, he has not fulfilled his obligation.  Rabbi Meir says that one fulfills his obligation with Mexican because it is exotic.  B’shaas had’chak, a shaila must be asked.

End transcript.

Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel were schools, one could say are schools of thought, named for their founders.

Machlokes (machloket): a dispute or disagreement about

Jewish law

Machmir: exceeding the bare minimum requirement


B’dieved: after the fact (in an acceptable but not

ideal manner)

B’shaas had’chak: in extenuating circumstances


Shaila: a question







2 comments:

Foscavista said...

Are there decent Chinese(-American) restaurants near you? We don't.

delagar said...

They aren't like East-Coast good Chinese restaurants, but we have a couple of acceptable restaurants in town.